U.S. mortgage rates moved higher this week as escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and renewed inflation concerns rippled through global financial markets, adding fresh pressure to an already strained housing sector. According to Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage climbed to 6.51% for the week ending May 21, up from 6.36%...
It’s been a day full of news about a possible peace deal with Iran, which would be great news for housing. However, even though mortgage rates have risen due to the conflict lasting longer than anyone initially thought, housing demand has held up, and housing inventory is now on the verge of going negative year over year in our weekly single-family listings data. Housing inventory going negative...
When this globe-trotting couple decided to downsize and settle into retirement, they bought a condo in the walkable village of Bronxville, New York. Their unit, a new build, was slated to be more contemporary than they preferred. So they hired...
Appliance garages conceal countertop appliances such as blenders, coffee makers and toasters while keeping them easily accessible and organized. While they’ve been around for decades, they’re enjoying a resurgence in popularity as homeowners incorporate more gadgets into their kitchens — and as...
Searches on Houzz offer insights into where home design is headed. So we looked at Houzz search terms from January through March 2026 and compared them with searches from the same period last year to see how homeowner priorities might be...
National mortgage banking company All Western Mortgage (AWM) announced on Thursday that HouseAmerica Financial has joined the company as it continues its national expansion. HouseAmerica Financial, based in La Cañada, California, produces about $500 million annually in mortgage volume, according to the announcement. The company is led by mortgage executive Alan Pezeshkian, who has more than 30 years of...
As states take varying approaches to regulating home equity investment (HEI) products, the industry faces an increasingly fragmented legal landscape shaped by consumer protection concerns and uncertainty over whether the products should be treated as mortgage loans. Under an HEI, homeowners receive upfront cash in exchange for a share of the home’s future value, typically repaying the investment when...
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill that increases benefits for veterans and their surviving families, offsetting the cost by raising fees on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) refinance transactions. The legislation — H.R. 6047, also known as the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2025 — was introduced in November by Rep. Tom Barrett...
The California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) voiced strong support for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed $100 million allocation for the Southern California Rebuild Fund included in this month’s revised state budget proposal, the trade group said this week. The proposed funding is designed to expand access to construction financing for homeowners affected by last year’s Southern California...
Chicagoland area listings are back on Zillow and Trulia as of Friday afternoon, after Chicago-based federal Judge John Tharp, Jr. granted in part Zillow’s preliminary injunction motion seeking to prevent Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) from suspending its listing feeds. On Monday, Zillow filed the motion in its antitrust lawsuit against MRED and Compass International Holdings, after MRED notified it...
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